Worst2First: My Top Ten Disaster Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Disaster Films

Films are a great source to see movies about doom and gloom.  From pre-to-post apocalyptic movies, there's never a shortage of celebrating the end of the world.

Yet there's the smaller disaster films out there that doesn't focus on worldwide destruction, but rather on a smaller, more personal scale.  Be it a personal fight for survival or a continental event, there's no shortage of disaster films on the smaller scale.

Here are my personal top ten disaster films, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Titanic

You might be wondering why I have "Titanic" ranked so low, and it's because the actual disaster doesn't take place until almost two-thirds of the way into this 195 minute epic.  However, when the ship hits the iceberg (not a spoiler, everyone over the age of 5 knows this), the real disaster begins and the fight for survival ensues.  That's the most entertaining part, filled with suspense, emotion and raw feelings - because it really happened.

#9

The Poseidon Adventure

Much like "Titanic," "The Poseidon Adventure" takes place on a luxury yacht that gets flipped over during a tsunami, trapping the people inside.  It becomes a valiant fight for survival as they must battle the elements and each other in hopes of making it off the boat alive.  While it's dated, it's still a lot better than the 2006 remake, featuring five Oscar winners - Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons.

#8

Tomorrow, When the War Began

This Australian disaster film focuses on a group of youths who discover their country is being taken over by a foreign power, and bands together in hopes of stopping it.  Much like "Red Dawn," this film is a disaster on a national scale, focusing on a small band of survivors and their struggle to survive.  It's got a great young cast, compelling story, exciting action and well-written characters.

#7

Blindness

"Blindness" is a different type of disaster film, one that takes place within the individual and not due to an outside force.  Society has suffered an epidemic of blindness, with its causes unknown and possibly no antidote.  Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo plays a man who goes blind, while his wife - played by Oscar winner Julianne Moore - is somehow immune.  They're quarantined with a bunch of other blind people, and chaos ensues in a fight for power and dominance, and Moore gives a commanding performance as the only person who can see.  It's gripping, tense, and dramatic, and a dark look at how society would crumble when faced with an international crisis.

#6

Pacific Rim

In Guillermo del Toro's action epic, the world is overrun by creatures known as Kaiju that emerged from an inter-dimensional portal underwater.  To combat them, the world created Jaegers, gigantic humanoid robots powered by two pilots who share a connected mind.  The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day, and is chock full of action from start to finish.

#5

War for the Planet of the Apes

Closing out a great prequel trilogy, "War" focuses on Caesar's battle for survival against humanity, who wishes to enslave them and regain their world.  While it's not an epic, worldwide disaster movie, it instead focuses on a singular human outpost manned by The Colonel, played gleefully by Woody Harrelson.  It's the war that sparked the apocalypse, but also a deeply personal war within Caesar, who must battle his own inner demons to be more human, or let the animal come out.

#4

The Perfect Storm

Based off the true Perfect Storm in 1991, Wolfgang Peterson's "The Perfect Storm" tells the story of a crew aboard a commercial fishing boat who comes into contact with a unique storm at sea - the convergence of two weather fronts and a hurricane.  It's exciting, tense, and even nauseating with Peterson's camera work that makes you feel like you're aboard the ship with the crew.  It also features an all-star cast including George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly and Diane Lane.

#3

The Impossible

Based off the 2004 Tsunami that struck from the Indian Ocean, "The Impossible" centers around a family split apart, and their impossible search for one another.  It's a harrowing, true-life tale of survival, hope, and finding the light in the most darkest place.  Naomi Watts was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, and the film also featured Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland - the future Spider-Man.  It's one of those films that sticks with you, and proves nothing is stronger than the bond of family.

#2

Red Dawn

When America is attacked by the Soviet Union and their allies, a group of American youth band together to lead a resistance and take back their country.  Starring Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey, "Red Dawn" is an action-packed spectacle on a deeply personal level, taking the war home and showing the bond of friendship that turns ordinary high school students into warriors.  The 2012 remake starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson and Adrienne Palicki isn't bad either.

#1

Gravity

Filled with dazzling visuals, state-of-the-art effects and Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock at the helm, Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" is a disaster movie set in space, and clearly defines the vastness and pure helplessness of it.  Bullock stars as Dr. Ryan Stone, who is left alone to drift in space after her space ship is destroyed by debris, and must use her wits to make her way back to Earth.  It's one woman's quest for survival among impossible odds, and is an amazing adventure to behold, mostly due to the dizzying effects that transport you to space yourself, and the total lack of sound - since in space, there's no way for sound to travel.